L6: Antisocial Behaviours Flashcards
(18 cards)
Describe the developmental pathways towards antisocial behaviour
Overt Pathway
* Involves confrontational and aggressive behaviour that becomes increasingly violent and openly defiant
* Escalation = minor aggression → physical fighting → serious violence
Covert Pathway
* Involves secretive, deceptive, non-confrontational behaviours
* Escalation = minor rule violations → property damage/theft → serious (hidden) criminal acts
Authority Conflict Pathway
* Characterized by oppositional and defiant behaviour toward authority figures
* Escalation = early stubborn behaviour → defiance/disobedience → authority avoidance
* Typically onset prior to age 12
Define antisocial behaviour
Outward behaviour that either directly or indirectly harms others through the violation of important moral and social norms (including aggressive and delinquent acts)
7
List historical risk factors for the development of antisocial behaviour
- Previous violent behaviour
- Early onset of first violent acts
- Witnessing violence
- Inconsistent parenting and neglect
- Delinquent caregivers
- Early unstable family situation
- Low school results
5
List outcomes of neglect and inconsistent parenting
- Insecure/avoidant attachment
- Increased sensitivity to stress
- Less trust in self and others
- Increased susceptibility to peer influence and sensitivity to rejection
- Reduced coping strategies (because of lower emotion regulation and problem solving abilities)
6
List individual risk factors for the development of antisocial behaviour
- Impulsivity
- Negative attitude
- Anger issues
- Lack of empathy/remorse
- Lack of interest in school
- Substance use issues
Explain the link between aggressive behaviour and ADHD
- According to Decision Theory, people make choices by assessing the potential options, determining their benefits and consequences, and choosing the option that has the highest perceived benefit
- In ADHD, this is disrupted, leading to them making more risky decisions
- Specifically, there are impairments in:
a) Expected Utility - overvaluation of potential gains and undervaluation of potential losses
b) Risk Return - perceive behaviours as less risky and more beneficial
c) Heuristics - reliance on limited information when making choices (e.g., only factor in the potential gains) - People with ADHD are more likely to choose aggression because of this faulty decision making
5
List social risk factors for the development of antisocial behaviour
- Delinquent peer groups
- Peer rejection
- Bad neighbourhood
- Low parenting skills
- Lack of support from other adults
Describe the effects of peer groups on the development of antisocial behaviour
- Selection effects- we choose friends who are similar to us
- Influence effects - we try to be more like our friends
- Deselection effects - delinquent adolescents are more likely to lose their friendships with non-delinquent peers, removing an important positive/protective social factor from their lives
Explain how peer rejection contributes to the development of antisocial behaviour
- People with a history of early abuse often have greater sensitivity to rejection
- This makes them more likely to (wrongfully) perceive potential abandonment and rejection
- This elicits strong emotional responses, sometime in the form of aggression
Define ODD
- Reactive
- Not planned
- Experiences guilt, remorse, and empathy
- Experiences emotional arousal
- Reactive aggression - impulsive form of aggression that occurs in response to a perceived threat
Define CD
- Proactive
- Planned
- No guilt, remorse, or empathy
- No emotional arousal
- Instrumental aggression - seeing aggression as a means to an end
Define instrumental aggression
Type of aggression used as a means to achieve a specific goal or obtain a desired outcome
Define reactive aggression
Impulsive, emotional form of aggression that occurs in response to a perceived threat, provocation, or frustration
Define cognitive distortions
Inaccurate or biased ways of attending to or prescribing meaning on experiences
Define primary cognitive distortions
Considering one’s own views, needs, rights, feelings, desires as more important than the legitimate views and expectations of others, resulting in them being disregarded
Define secondary cognitive distortions
Pre/post transgressional rationalizations that serve to minimize conscience, empathy, and guilt, thereby preventing damage to the self-image when engaging in antisocial behaviour
Provide examples of different types of secondary cognitive distortions
- Blaming others - misattributing the blame to outside sources
- Minimizing/mislabeling - regarding antisocial behaviours as causing no harm, being acceptable, or even admirable. Also dehumanizing the victim
- Assuming the worst - basically hostile attribution bias
Explain the findings of the How I Think Questionnaire study
- Delinquent adolescents had more cognitive distortions than nondeliquent peers
- The relationship between cognitive distortions and delinquency was moderated by IQ
